Volvo Cars has announced that from 2025 at least 25 per cent of plastics used in every newly launched Volvo car will be made from recycled material.
The manufacturer is urging its component supply chain to improve sustainability, especially in terms of recycled plastic content.
To highlight the potential of components made from recycled materials, Volvo has unveiled a specially built version of its XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV with standard plastic components replaced by equivalents made from recycled material.
The new-look XC60 T8 has a tunnel console made from renewable fibres and plastics from discarded fishing nets and maritime ropes. The carpet contains fibres made from PET plastic bottles and a recycled cotton mix from clothing manufacturers’ offcuts. The seats also use PET fibres from plastic bottles.
Used car seats from old Volvo cars were used to create the sound-absorbing material under the car bonnet.
Martina Buchhauser, senior vice president of global procurement at Volvo Cars, said: ‘We do need increased availability of recycled plastics if we are to make our ambition a reality. That is why we call on even more suppliers and new partners to join us in investing in recycled plastics and to help us realise our ambition.’
